When planning a wedding menu and to keep costs in-line it is sometimes necessary to skip the appetizers. Although you may make this decision please keep in mind that your guests will require a little something to eat if they are going to the hall after the ceremony. You may at this time decide that providing some type of food for your guests prior to dinner and  while you are having your pictures taken.

While we can all appreciate that the budget may be of concern, your guest’s happiness and how the mood, the atmosphere is set really depends upon what they first encounter when they arrive at the hall. If you are challenged with a tight budget and can not really afford appetizers an alternative may be to put out a few platters.

For example: You could put out beautiful spreads of fresh vegetables and homemade dip, platters of artisan cheese with baskets of gourmet crackers and freshly sliced baguettes. Fresh in-season sliced fruit with a sweet fruit dip, or layered dips with cut up quarter pitas or multi-colored chips.

These all work extremely well and guests will appreciate that you did provide something for them while they are waiting for you and the rest of the bridal party.

Although most caterers would be happy to supply you with an endless number it is our recommendation to serve three appetizers prior to the main culinary event. Try to choose a variety for the three such as a prawn, scallop or small tuna cake, then a vegetable style like strawberry stuffed tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil pesto and then a meat such as lamb pops, mini rib sliders, cornbread topped with lightly sauce and spiced shredded pork tenderloin these are some of the choices that we offer. Remember you’ re giving guests something to nibble during the cocktail hour and prior to the bride and groom and wedding party arrival to the wedding hall.

On a budgetary note keep your appetizers to the three will help keep your costs in line as well. The rule of how many appetizers to the number of people is 3.5 pieces each. This should help you plan a wonderful wedding reception with great food!

Tip #1
Instead of hosting a bar stocked with every imaginable liquor, mixer and condiment, choose a soft bar that serves only beer, wine and champagne. If your heart is set on serving a true cocktail, add one signature drink to your beverage menu, such as the wide-appealing Sour Apple Martini, Cosmopolitan, or Gimlet. And don’t forget to dream up a great name for your signature special, like “Sarah and Mike’s Romantic Refresher.” You may also choose to create a semi-soft bar, adding one or two versatile spirits to the drink menu. We recommend going with vodka or whiskey. Both are extremely flexible, can be enjoyed alone or in a cocktail, and work well with a variety of mixers.

Preparation time: About 5 hours.

Ingredients
1 turkey, approx. 15 lbs.*
Juice of a lemon
Salt and pepper
Olive oil or melted butter
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
Tops and bottoms of a bunch of celery
2 carrots
Parsley
Sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme

METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash out the turkey with water. Pull out any remaining feather stubs in the turkey skin. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Lather the inside of the cavity with the juice of half a lemon. Take a small handful of salt and rub all over the inside of the turkey. (AFTER SANITIZE ALL SURFACES)

In this method of cooking a turkey, we don’t make the stuffing in the turkey because doing so adds too much to the cooking time. For flavor, put in inside the turkey a half a yellow onion, peeled and quartered, a bunch of parsley, a couple of carrots, and some tops and bottoms of celery. You may need to cap the body cavity with some aluminum foil so that the stuffing doesn’t easily fall out. Close up the turkey cavity with either string (not nylon string!) or metal skewers. Make sure that the turkey’s legs are tied together, held close to the body, and tie a string around the turkey body to hold the wings in close.

Rub either melted butter or olive oil all over the outside of the turkey. Sprinkle salt generously all over the outside of the turkey (or have had it soaking in salt-water brine before starting this process). Sprinkle pepper over the turkey.

Place turkey BREAST DOWN on the bottom of a rack over a sturdy roasting pan big enough to catch all the drippings. This is the main difference between the way mom makes turkey and everyone else. Cooking the turkey breast down means the skin over the breast will not get so brown. However, all of the juices from the cooking turkey will fall down into the breast while cooking. And the resulting bird will have the most succulent turkey breast imaginable. Add several sprigs of fresh (if possible) thyme and rosemary to the outside of the turkey.

Put the turkey in the oven. Check the cooking directions on the turkey packaging. Gourmet turkeys often don’t take as long to cook. With the turkeys mom gets, she recommends cooking time of about 15 minutes for every pound. For the 15 lb turkey, start the cooking at 400 F for the first 1/2 hour. Then reduce the heat to 350 F for the next 2 hours. Then reduce the heat further to 225 F for the next hour to hour and a half.

If you want the breast to be browned as well, you can turn over the bird for the last 15-20 minutes of cooking, at an oven temp of 300°F.

Start taking temperature readings with a meat thermometer, inserted deep into the thickest part of the turkey breast and thigh, a half hour before the turkey should be done. The dark meat in the thigh should be about 175°F. The white meat in the breast should be 160°F to 165°F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, spear the breast with a knife. The turkey juices should be clear, not pink.

Once you remove the turkey from the oven, let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Turn the turkey breast side up to carve it.

12-15 lb turkey for 10-12 people
15-18 lb turkey for 14-16 people
18-22 lb turkey for 20-22 people

 We could not improve on this recipe so the credit must go to  simplyrecipes.com

Some valuable information- please read…

Health Canada reminds you:

•Store your turkey in the refrigerator or freezer immediately after it is purchased.

•Do not thaw your turkey at room temperature. Thaw turkey in the refrigerator or in cold water.

•If you thaw your turkey in cold water, keep the turkey in its original wrapping and change the cold water regularly to ensure that the water remains cold.

•Do not rinse raw poultry. This can spread bacteria everywhere the water splashes, creating a safety hazard.

•Clean and disinfect surfaces and kitchen utensils touched by raw turkey or drippings from thawing turkey.

•Use a food thermometer, and cook turkey until the temperature of the thickest part of the breast or thigh is at least 85ºC (185ºF).

•Cook stuffing separately in its own oven dish or on the stove top. If you do stuff your turkey, stuff loosely just prior to roasting, and remove all stuffing immediately after cooking. Cook stuffing to a minimum internal temperature of 74ºC (165ºF).

•Refrigerate all leftovers within two hours of cooking.

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Here is the recipe for ours.

1 package of cream cheese (softened)

1 package of Oreo cookies or another cream filled cookie (crushed) save 1/3 cup for sprinkling over dipped truffles.

2 tbsps of baileys liqueur

2 packages of semi sweet chocolate (melted for dipping)

In a food processor add crushed cookies, cream cheese in chunks and mix add the bailey liqueur and when the mixture comes together remove and shape into small truffle sized balls. Microwave chocolate on high for above 2 minutes and every 30 seconds stir chocolate ( it may not take the whole 2 minutes to melt depends on your microwave0. Dip truffle balls into the chocolate using two forks to easily move around, drain off the excess chocolate and place on wax paper. When all truffles are done and prior to the chocolate hardening sprinkle remaining cookies over tops and refrigerate until hard. Enjoy.

Meatballs:

• 2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 1/3 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
• 3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of whole cranberries (in the can)
• 1/4 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• dash of tabasco sauce

Preparation:

1. Let’s do lunch. Ever noticed how the lunch menu at most restaurants is way less expensive than the dinner menu? Turn this years’ Christmas Party into a luncheon to help keep your costs in check, and your staff will thank you for A) a free afternoon off work, and B) not having to come up with an excuse for not going to your regular weekend party.

 2. Make your office party an office party. Having your party in the office instead of renting a hall or hotel can shave a large chunk off your total party expense, and gives you the flexibility to choose your own caterer rather than be forced to use hotel-issue options only.

 3. Shop around. This may seem like a no-brainer, but most of us are busy and often too quick to just call the people you dealt with last year. Take the time to seek out competitively-priced caterers who are all too eager to earn your business.

 4. Have a co-party. Do you know another company that you could co-host a party with? Split the expenses by planning your big event together, and who knows, the injection of some new faces in the crowd could actually serve to liven up the event more than you expected.

 5. Get creative. Host a themed office party, an office murder mystery, or a games night to get everyone involved and turn your usual can’t-wait-to-get-this-over-with yawner into a hey-that-was-a-great-time-when-can-we-do-it-again success.

 6. Spend some of your savings. Re-invest some of the money you’re saving into something everyone can benefit from like a couple of decent door prizes, a weekend in Whistler giveaway, or $500 in gift certificates to help out with Christmas shopping.

 7. Hold the party in your home. If you have a large home why not save the expense of a hall and have it in your home. This will personalize the party and it can be a mix and mingle style combined with plated appetizers and some wonderful beverages. Remember to have taxi vouchers available or planned rides home a limo bus that picks up and drops off can be a nice touch.

 Having a Christmas holiday party is a nice way for everyone to celebrate the holidays and keep the moral up. Planning something a little different without breaking the bank can be both rewarding and successful!